Edit: I have written an update for this post, if want to see it just click here now.
This post will probably be boring if you don't have a dog, and even if you do it might be boring anyways. So don't say I didn't warn you.
First my quick thoughts about having a dog:
1. you quickly find out where all the trash cans in your neighborhood are (near the metrobus stops) so you can throw the poo bags away.
2. it's kinda of awkward talking to someone while your dog is trying to mount their dog.
Anyways the main point of this post is about dogs pulling, and solutions to the problem. There are a bunch of techniques which don't require hardware, but this post will be about leashes, harnesses and collars designed to keep a dog from pulling.
If you haven't guessed already, Gilligan is a puller. Sometimes he's content walking next to me, but some times he puts his nose to the ground and pulls. So I looked around for a solution and found that most pet stores carry two kinds of non-choke solutions: halter collars (Sporn, etc.) and head harnesses (Gentle Leader, Halti, etc.).
Halter collars, are collars that have cables/straps that look alot like a backpack's straps look on people. The leash is connected to these straps, so when the dog pulls, it pulls their legs back instead of their collar. If they pull left, it pulls back on their left shoulder. If they pull right, it pulls back on their right shoulder. Sounds good in theory but in action it's a "leg choke harness." The biggest problems people have with them is that the straps can pull so hard that it can cut off circulation to the legs and/or it can chafe the area. To me it's not much better than a choke collar, so I wasn't trying it on Gilligan.
The first thing I tried was a Halti head harness. A head harness is basically a collar with an attached muzzle cover which controls a dog by controlling it's head. Many dogs, including Gilligan, HATE it. They spend most of the time shaking their heads back and forth. It's pretty easy to understand why since not too many animals are keen on having things wrapped around their mouths and having their head controlled.
Finally I read about "front leash" or "front lead" harnesses. Unlike a regular harness (which clips to a spot behind the dogs neck), these harnesses are leashed in the front, right at a dog's chest. There seems to be a good amount of positive feed back about them, but since they are relatively new they are hard to find. I have been able to find 3 makers. A guy named Wayne Hightower makes one, a company named Softouch Concepts makes the Sense-ation Harness and the Sense-ible Harness, and the folks who make the Gentle Leader Headcollar, (Premier), make the Easy Walk Harness. Premier is the only company that is carried in most pet stores (including Petsmart and Petco), but most stores don't carry the Easy Walk. Fortunately the Petco in Tyson Corner had it.
So I tried it on Gilligan, and it worked immediately and perfectly. The harness works because of two reasons. First, a dog CANNOT pull from the back because it connects in the front, so it will always pull from a side. Second, the harness in essence "pushes" instead of pulls on the dog's shoulders. That is to say when the dog pulls left, it pushes the left shoulder to the right, and vice versa. It is a much nicer contraption because it doesn't squeeze sensitive areas, it forces the shoulders to move away from where they are pulling towards.
Needless to say, I have ordered one (it is about 13 dollars cheaper from Amazon) and am eagerly awaiting it. So if you, or someone you know, need a gentle device to keep a dog from pulling, definitely look into these "front leash" harnesses.
Edit (12/06/06): I have written a new post in essence updating and expanding on information found in this post.
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